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The Greek Period

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.”
Daniel 12:4

Chapter 8:1-27                                         The Greek Period

1.  In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 
2.  And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 
3.  I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 
4.  I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. 
5.  As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 
6.  He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 
7.  I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 
8.  Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. 
9.  Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 
10.  It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 
11.  It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 
12.  And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 
13.  Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, "For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?" 
14.  And he said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state." 

Four Beasts

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.”
Daniel 12:4

Chapter 7:1-28                                         Four Beasts

1.  In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 
2.  Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 
3.  And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 
4.  The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 
5.  And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' 
6.  After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 
7.  After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 
8.  I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. 

Daniel takes us back fourteen years to a dream that he had at the beginning of Belshazzar´s reign. Up to this point, he has related the historical testimony of himself and his three companions in Babylon. They were the instruments of the all-powerful God of Judah, and before the eyes of world rulers, they demonstrated His greatness and gave Him glory.

He was seen in supernatural support of their faithfulness, in not contaminating themselves with the delicacies and wine of Babylon, and in the supernatural revelation and interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He was clearly manifested in the miraculous deliverance from the fiery furnace, revealed Himself in the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream and in the interpretation of the astounding handwriting on the wall of Belshazzar’s palace. Finally, His power was seen in locking the jaws of fierce lions.

Daniel in the Lions’ Den

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 6:1-28                                    Daniel in the Lions’ Den

1.   It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; 
2.  and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. 
3.  Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 
4.  Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 
5. Then these men said, "We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God." 
6. Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live forever! 
7. All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 
8. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked." 
9. Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.

Comments from Martin Luther

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Some of Luther's comments on the book of Galatians:

1. "Don't you know that God is no respector of persons?" cries Paul. The dignity or authority of men means nothing to God. The fact is that God often rejects just such who stand in the odor of sanctity and in the aura of importance. In doing so God seems unjust and harsh. But men need deterring examples. For it is a vice with us to esteem personality more highly than the Word of God. God wants us to exalt His Word and not men.
2. If Paul would not give in to the false apostles, much less ought we to give in to our opponents. I know a Christian should be humble, but against the Pope I am going to be proud and say to him: "You, Pope, I will not have you for my boss, for I am sure that my doctrine is divine." Such pride against the Pope is imperative, for if we are not stout and proud we shall never succeed in defending the article of the righteousness of faith.
3. When it comes to establishing false worship and idolatry, no cost is spared. True religion is ever in need of money, while false religions are backed by wealth.
4. For defending the truth in our day, we are called proud and obstinate hypocrites. We are not ashamed of these titles. The cause we are called to defend, is not Peter's cause, or the cause of our parents, or that of the government, or that of the world, but the cause of God. In defense of that cause we must be firm and unyielding.

The Last Straw

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 5:1-31                                                  The Last Straw

1.  King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. 
2.  Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 
3.  Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 
4.  They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. 
5.  Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. 
6.  Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. 
7.  The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." 
8.  Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. 
9.  Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed. 
10.  The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, "O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. 
11.  There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, 
12.  because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation." 

Of all the accounts of history that are available, none are as authentic as those of God’s historians. That is as it should be, because for that purpose God has raised them up in the most strategic places. There are quite a number of secular individuals, who have written of Babylonian history and its kings. However, they wrote from a distance, in time and place, whereas Daniel’s had, we might say, “a ring-side seat”, writing from the palace of the emperors in the city of Babylon. No one saw these occurrences with more clarity and detail than he had. Yet the world, in its rebellion, tend to give secular writers more credence and criticize Daniel.

When it comes to the life of Jesus Christ, no historical records of ancient history are more accurately confirmed than the four Gospels, written by eye witnesses or those very closely associated with them. We conclude that the Bible is the greatest historical authority available. Constantly, as time unfolds, more evidence is discovered, proving its authenticity. We, who are believers, know it to be inerrant and only to be criticized by men out of rebellious unbelief. That, in itself, goes to prove the biblical assessment that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 Jn.5:19).

A Kingly Conversion

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 4:19-37                               A Kingly Conversion

19.  Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, "Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you." Belteshazzar answered and said, "My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies! 
20.  The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, 
21.  whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived— 
22.  it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth. 
23.  And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,' 
24.  this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, 
25.  that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. 
26.  And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. 
27. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity."

God’s providential ways are unique and not according to the patterns of men. He sent Daniel as His ambassador to Babylon and to King Nebuchadnezzar, as a captive, supernaturally equipped with wisdom and a gift for interpreting spiritual messages. The enemy tried desperately to thwart the Lord’s purpose and neutralize His elected vessel in this godless society.

Samples of Dave's photography

I wanted to give a few examples of our son, Dave's,  photography this past year or so. Some of his work has been placed in a 2018 calendar, but don't you think they should find their place in a magazine? If any of you have connections with some kind of publication, please put in a good word. Contact me at loelmarga@telefonica.net and I will pass it on to him. Dave is also hired to do weddings. (For larger view, click on any photo)
























The Tree Dream

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 4:1-18                                       The Tree Dream

1.  King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 
2.  It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 
3.  How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. 
4.  I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 
5.  I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 
6.  So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 
7.  Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. 

This chapter tells one of the most amazing testimonies in all of Scripture and there are few that surpass it, in all the centuries of church history. It is the first person account of a world emperor, which he sent to his kingdom throughout the earth. In it, he praises God and relates his experience of conversion in the common Aramaic language. The writing is worthy of the quotes of a couple commentators:

Adam Clarke: This is a regular decree, and one of the most ancient extant (voc. note: still in existence); and no doubt contains the exact words of Nebuchadnezzar, copied out by Daniel from the state papers of Babylon, and preserved in the original language.”

Matthew Henry: The royal style which Nebuchadnezzar makes use of has nothing in it of pomp or fancy, but is plain, short, and unaffected. If at other times he made use of great swelling words of vanity in his title, now he laid them all aside; for he was old, he had lately recovered from a distraction which had humbled and mortified him, and was now in the actual contemplation of God's greatness and sovereignty. The declaration is directed not only to his own subjects, but to all to whom this present writing shall come - to all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth. He is not only willing that they should all hear of it, though it carry the account of his own infamy (which perhaps none durst have published if he had not done it himself, and therefore Daniel published the original paper), but he strictly charges and commands all manner of persons to take notice of it; for all are concerned, and it may be profitable to all.

The God Who Overrules

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 3:13-30                               The God Who Overrules

13.  Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 
14.  Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 
15.  Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" 
16.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 
17.  If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 
18.  But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." 
19.  Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. 
20.  And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 
21.  Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. 
22.  Because the king's order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 
23.  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. 

Nebuchadnezzar has constructed a costly and impressive idol and, from his high position over the population, he expects immediate and total consecration to it. This is not just an imaginative invention construed in the mind of the emperor; its construction was inspired by a religious experience that shook him to the core of his being. He is serious about this.

The Golden Superman Image

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 “some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!”   Hebrews 11:33, 34


                         Chapter 3:1-12  
              
1. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 
2.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 
3. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 
4.  And the herald proclaimed aloud, "You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 
5.  that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 
6.  And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace." 
7.  Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 
  

The Fourfold Image

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” 
Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 2:24-49  The Fourfold Image

24.  Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation." 
25.  Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: "I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation." 
26.  The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?" 
27.  Daniel answered the king and said, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 
28.  but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 
29.  To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 
30.  But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. 

Who, but God himself, could single out exceptional prayer warriors, among all the great men of the Old Testament, who particularly had power before His throne in prayer? Through Ezekiel, He mentioned only three… Noah, Job and Daniel (Ezek.14:14,20). We have already learned of some of the amazing spiritual qualities of this young man, Daniel. In the last lesson, we read of his prudence and discretion.

The God Who Dwells with Flesh

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 2:1-23                      The God Who Dwells with Flesh   

1.   In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. 
2.   Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 
3.   And the king said to them, "I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream." 
4.   Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation." 
5.   The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 
6.   But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation." 
7.   They answered a second time and said, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation." 
8.   The king answered and said, "I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— 
9.    if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation." 
10.  The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 
11.  The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh." 
12.  Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. 

Ten Times Better

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 1:8-21                                 Ten Times Better

 8.  But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 
9.   And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 
10.  and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king." 
11.  Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 
12.  "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 
13.  Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see." 
14.  So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 
15.  At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 
16.  So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. 

God always has someone prepared to aid the ones, who belong to Him, from the cradle to the grave and actually long before they are born. That person may not be a believer, but he will in that area for which God calls him, faithfully carry out His purposes. During a famine, the Lord trained crows to feed Elijah and then chose a poor widow to house and maintain him until the famine was over. The Persian emperor Cyrus, a pagan, encouraged the Israelites to return to their land, rebuild their temple and helped to finance the entire project. God called him His servant.

Four Young Hebrews in Babylon

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The Book of the Prophet Daniel

“… some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34

Chapter 1:1-7  Four Young Hebrews in Babylon

1.  En el año tercero del reinado de Joacim, rey de Judá, vino Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, a Jerusalén y la sitió. 
2.  Y el Señor entregó en sus manos a Joacim, rey de Judá, y algunos de los utensilios de la casa de Dios; los llevó a la tierra de Sinar, a la casa de su dios, colocando los utensilios en la casa del tesoro de su dios. 
3.  Entonces el rey mandó a Aspenaz, jefe de sus oficiales, que trajera de los hijos de Israel a algunos de la familia real y de los nobles, 
4.  jóvenes en quienes no hubiera defecto alguno, de buen parecer, inteligentes en toda rama del saber, dotados de entendimiento y habilidad para discernir y que tuvieran la capacidad para servir en el palacio del rey; y le mandó que les enseñara la escritura y la lengua de los caldeos. 
5.  El rey les asignó una ración diaria de los manjares del rey y del vino que él bebía, y mandó que los educaran por tres años, al cabo de los cuales entrarían al servicio del rey. 
6.  Entre éstos estaban Daniel, Ananías, Misael y Azarías, de los hijos de Judá. 
7.  Y el jefe de los oficiales les puso nuevos nombres: a Daniel le puso Beltsasar; a Ananías, Sadrac; a Misael, Mesac; y a Azarías, Abed-nego. 

As we begin reading the first chapter of the book of Daniel, we immediately learn two things: 1) The Bible harmonizes with the actual events of human history. It accurately finds its place there and confirms all the rulers, nations, and movements, which we know to be historically true and gives the dates, in which they played their part. Babylon had an important role in the Bible and its history began in the book of Genesis. In our study, we enter the time, when this empire had reached its glory. In verse one, we read of one of the conquests of Emperor Nebuchadnezzar II, son of Nabopolassar, who destroyed the Assyrian empire and turned Babylon into the world power that it was in the time of Daniel.

2) Israel is always involved in some way with these predominant forces. Almighty God, who spoke the universe into existence, chose to be the divine King over a relatively small nation. However, these people have never been, and are not now, insignificant on the world scene. This is due, in part, to the fact that they always interacted with the highest powers on earth.

Introduction to Daniel

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 For the next few months, or however long it takes, I will focus on the book of Daniel. Again, this will be an expository study, verse by verse. I hope you will join me, because, as you know, there are some exciting, meaningful stories in the first six chapters. 

Then, we will come to some of the most amazing prophecies in the entire Bible, concerning the endtimes. There is also a prophecy in chapter two, a very important one for understanding the entire history of world empires. The greatest key to an outline of prophetic times and unlocking its mysteries is given in chapter nine. For sure, you will not want to miss the study of that chapter.  

I would never attempt a study of the book of Revelation, without first tackling Daniel. I mention in the introduction that it is impossible to comprehend the book of Revelation, without a previous knowledge of this book. Perhaps in the future, we can plunge into John's Revelation, but let's get some help first from this noble prophet with his amazing eye for events that will take us to the Second Coming of Christ. 

In the beginning, I wanted to turn aside a little, in order to mention some real hindrances to the development of spirituality in the individual Christian life, as well as being problems, relative to the church these days. There are just a few paragraphs concerning this, so please bear with me. I feel there must be a change of attitude and mentality, in order to hold the right Christian perspective in the very dangerous times, spiritually speaking, in which we live. 

The Spiritual Person

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My comments on the book of Galatians conclude with this article. I hope they have been of use to you...

Galatians 6:1-18

1.  Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 
2.  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3.  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4.  But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 
5.  For each will have to bear his own load. 
6.  Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 
7.  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 
8.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 

9.  And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 
10.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith

God is the God of restoration. Shall we term restoration a second chance? My favorite biblical example of God’s willingness to restore is that of Samson, after he miserably compromised his Nazarite secret with a foreign woman, who immediately betrayed him. As a result, the covenant hair of his head was shaved, he was taken prisoner, his eyes were put out and he was made to grind at a mill. The next verse brings tears to my eyes and hope to my heart: “But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved” (Jud.16:22). As simple as it is, I love this verse, because it reveals the nature of Samson’s God. The Holy Spirit wants to convey the fact that He is the God of restoration. The duty of the spiritual Christian is to restore a fallen brother and to do so in a spirit of gentleness.